Cuffed by His Charm (Dirty Little Secrets 4)

Marcus picks a piece of lint off his pants and flicks it onto the floor. “Your boyfriend isn’t the only one who’s connected.”

I pause and watch him then, and for all the nerves I felt earlier they’re nothing compared to what I’m feeling now. It’s there in his eyes, this plan where I’m his pawn. You need to get out of here, McKenna. Now. “If you know about my financial situation, then why did you call me here?”

“Oh, you won’t pay his debt,” Marcus says. “But you seem to keep forgetting a very important factor, Ms. Archer.”

“What’s that?”

“I will be paid by any means necessary.” His gaze falls to Tommy behind me.

There’s danger in his eyes when he nods, and it’s danger that has me on my feet and running toward the door in a split second. I glance into the door guy’s eyes, he isn’t looking bored anymore, but then there’s tug on my hair, and I’m free-falling to the ground, the weight of a man following.

Gabe

With fury burning off the liquor, I storm into the groom’s suite. The T-shirt and jeans that I’d worn here are folded on the chair in the corner near my duffle bag, with my boots resting on the hardwood floor. “Please tell me you have a way to find her,” I demand of Ryder when he enters the room and shuts the door behind him.

“While Alex could easily hack into the phone company and access the GPS coordinates for McKenna’s cellphone . . .” He hesitates, shoving his hands into his pockets, and lets out a deep breath. “Keep in mind that what I tell you next is because I’m trying to help you. That said, back when this all began, we put a tap on her cellphone.”

I arch a single eyebrow. “Say that again?”

“Calm down.” Ryder gives a measured look. “Remember, I’m not the enemy here. Tapping her phone was a necessary evil, I’m afraid.”

Determined not to pummel a close friend who’s been nothing but helpful, I snap my glare away and stare at the hardwood floor beneath my shiny black shoes. Before I would’ve had no problem bugging McKenna, but now it feels wrong. We’re doing to her what I originally had been furious at her for doing to me.

I’m crazy with rage, with helplessness, with fear, as I breathe in deeply and exhale just as slowly. I want to protect her now. Hell, I want to save her from the grips of the man who has her. And it’s now, lost in these thoughts, that I realize somewhere along the line things have shifted. I can no longer deny it. It’s there staring me right in the face. I lift my head to Ryder and tell him, “You do realize that I’m in love with this woman.”

Ryder pauses. Then, his expression softens. “I do now.” Another long pause as his eyes search mine. “Regardless, Gabe, I still would have tapped her phone, whether you liked that or not. If her brother had called anyone it would have been her, and we could have tracked him from that call.”

I run a hand over my face, trying not to lose my cool. Christ, I’d been the one who approached Ryder originally, asking him to do all he could to find her brother. “Forgive me,” I say, finally dropping my hand, forcing my muscles to relax. “I’m . . .”

“Emotional.” Ryder waves me off. “You don’t need to apologize. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. This is a fucked up situation, and believe me, I take no enjoyment whatsoever spying on the woman who clearly means a lot to you.” He moves to the desk in the room, leans against the edge. “The good news is that because of that phone tap, we heard the conversation between Marcus Draken and McKenna.”

That’s an unexpected turn. “You have a recording of it?” I ask.

He nods, reaches into his pocket, and takes out his phone. Once he hits a button, he places the cell on the desk next to him, and Draken’s gravelly voice fills the air.

“Good evening, McKenna. This is Marcus Draken.”

A pause. When McKenna speaks, her voice is cool and calm. “What can I do for you, Mr. Draken?”

“I’ve had a change of heart,” he says. “I’d like to discuss this situation with your brother if you’d be willing to come and meet me.”

She pauses. “What exactly do you want to discuss?”

“I think we can come to an amicable conclusion to your brother’s situation.”

Her voice hardens. “Please do explain, because the last time we saw you, you said that you didn’t know him.”

“Oh, well, you see I have learned a thing or two about him since you came to see me,” he replies, all too careful not to implicate himself. “And I do like to help people out of sticky situations. Therefore, I think we could come to an arrangement, but I’d like to do that face-to-face.”

“I’m sure that could be arranged,” she replies. “Would you like Gabe and me to come to your club?”

It’s his turn to pause now. “I’m afraid that I would like to speak to you alone, if that’s all right. This is a private matter between you and your brother, and I don’t feel I need to tell Gabe O’Keefe my personal business.”

My body stiffens at the cold edge to Draken’s voice, a note in there warning me of a danger to come. A note that either McKenna doesn’t hear or ignores, because she finally says, “When?”

“Now,” Marcus replies. “My driver is on his way to gather you.”

One last long pause. Then, “I’ll see you soon.”